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Thursday, September 22, 2011

[Full Story] When the Red Forest Cried

When the Red Forest Cried By Kristel "Kazaki" Cuadra

The forest was bright and the sun was clear. A little girl named Ae-Cha walked in the hazy path, carrying a picnic basket. She wore a red hood and happily gazed at the nature around her. Coming back from town, she goes back to her house, where mother, Jin-Ae, was waiting for her to bring the grocery and prepare lunch.

But there was something eerie around her. Feeling slightly nervous, a shadow seems to be following her. She started to pick up the pace and run, but...

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

It was a bloody man in front of her, with a knife. He pushed her to a tree and was aiming at her heart. But as if something was pulling his hand, he stopped, looking at the girl's face.

"I...I can't...I can't kill you..." The man said to Ae-Cha.
The girl was terrified. She couldn't move, not even an inch. There were tears of fear on her eyes.
"Don't be afraid, little girl." The man suddenly backed away from the girl, dropped the knife, but still held her. "I've mistaken you for someone else, I'm sorry. It's okay. Don't cry."

Ae-Cha suddenly calmed down, seeing the sincerity from the man's eyes. She began interrogating, innocently.

"Who are you? Why did you try to kill me? Do you know me?"
The man sighed. "My name is Dae-Jung. I thought you were a bandit from town, because of your hood."
"Why are you all bloody?" The girl asked.
"I shall tell you later. But for now, I'll tell you a story in my small house. Would you like to come?"
Ae-Cha was warned not to trust strangers, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Sure! Besides, it's still too early."

And so both of them went to another path, to a small cabin in the woods. They sat on the table with warm soup.

"Would you like me to tell you a story about this forest?" Dae-Jung said.
"Yes, of course!" Said Ae-Cha.

The narration started.

"A long time ago, there were two people who always explored this forest. The boy was from the town while the girl was from the forest. They both loved each other, but the girl's mother didn't agree of their relationship."
"So what happened to them?"
"Sadly..." Dae-Jung's voice slightly withered. "The boy was killed by the girl's mother. He was brutally chainsawed to death. And the girl, since her mother was a wizard or some sort of a witch, was transformed into a little girl and all of her memories of the boy were erased and replaced with fake ones."
"That's...awful! How could a mother do that to her daughter?"
"Well...maybe because...the mother was a widow who had depression. Her husband died so she seem to have hated men."

Ae-Cha looked at her watch. It was almost noon time.
"Oh my! I have to go home! Thank you for inviting me here!" Then Ae-Cha hurriedly ran outside, back to the path she was going to.
"Okay then, take care, Ae-Cha." Said Dae-Jung.

When Ae-Cha arrived home, her mother was a little irritated.
"What took you so long, Ae-Cha?" Said her mother.
"Well I...I saw some furry animals and they were chasing after the food, so I gave them a tiny bit. I felt sorry for them. Is that okay, mom?"
Her mother, Jin-Ae, chuckled. "Of course, dear. The forest is yours to explore! I'm just glad you didn't run into any trouble. Allright, now help me with the food."
"Yes mother!"

That night, as Ae-Cha went to the kitchen for a glass of water, she saw a small piece of paper sticking out of the cabinet. Next to it was a cat that came out of nowhere. She picked up the paper and discovered that it was a small drawing of the forest.

This is when she began having rapid flashbacks.

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"Here's a piece of paper, Ae-Cha! You can draw the forest if you want." Said a guy.
"Sure, and you'll help me draw too. Right, Dae-Jung?"
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"Dae...Jung?" Ae-Cha thought. "So I....I...."

Suddenly, the cat led her outside, at the shed, where her mother stores all of the tools. When she picked up the little cat, yet another flashback entered her mind.

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"So what do we name the cat?" Asked Dae-Jung.
"Let's name her Channy!" Said Ae-Cha, while petting the cat.
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"Channy..." She looked at the cat, who seem to be pointing at something.

Behind the hay and rugged clothes, there was a chainsaw.

Ae-Cha quickly knelt down in tears, sorrow, and anger. It was her. She was the girl whose boyfriend was killed by her mother. She had become a little girl because of a spell. She lost all of her memories.

"You're awake now, Ae-Cha. Thank goodness." Said Dae-Jung, who was still bloody, and who was the person she met earlier.

"Dae-Jung! I...I...!" Ae-Cha hugged her, even if she was going to be covered in blood too. But her body went through Dae-Jung and she fell on the floor. "Why didn't you save me before? How many days has it been?"

Dae-Jung breathed deeply. "It was only five days. I was only waiting for the right time. I thought I could just kill you and we could be together in the after life. But you were so pure and innocent, and that would be selfish of me. So I instantly thought of sending you clues instead, with the help of Channy, who was also killed by your mother."
"I'm sorry...Dae-Jung..." Ae-Cha cried with all of her heart.

Suddenly, her mother walked into the shed. "What's the commotion here? Who is th--Ae-Cha? And w-who is t-th-?"

Quickly, and without remorse, Ae-Cha picked up the chainsaw and charged at her mother. She brutally pierced through her, like how Dae-Jung was murdered in front of her innocent eyes. But her mother was still able to fight back, and shot her many times with a pistol.

However, her mother died, leaving only Ae-Cha and the two spirits in the shed.

Catching her breath, Ae-Cha was beside Dae-Jung, who was forcing her to call any emergency paramedic. But she insisted on dying there.

"I don't want to live a lonely life. Without you. Without Channy. Without love." Ae-Cha said, with tears of joy. "I want to be with you...forever. I love you, Dae-Jung."
Dae-Jung accepted everything and said, "I love you too, Ae-Cha."

As Ae-Cha was about to breath his last, Dae-Jung sees her girlfriend being transformed into her original form, because her mother (who casted the spell) already passed away. They made a kiss - a kiss that would mean an eternal vow with each other, to stay together and linger through the forest which they called their home.